Generating new test environments

In the Test Environments section of a test plan, you can generate new test environments automatically and add them to the test plan. You can also add existing test environments to the plan.

To generate new test environments in a test plan:

1. Open the Test Environments section of a test plan.
2. Click the Test Environment tab.
3. Click the Generate New Test Environments icon () to start the Generate Test Environments wizard.
4. Select one or several environment attributes from each column.
   

   The number of test environments created depends on the number of attributes selected, the level of coverage that you choose, and the Advanced Properties (Inclusions, Exclusions, and Weightings) that you select.

   Note: Advanced Properties may not be visible until you select at least two attributes from one of the columns.
5. Select the level of coverage that you want.

   Use this setting and the Advanced Properties setting to fine-tune the environments that will be generated.

   • Choose Minimal to ensure that each selected attribute is covered at least once, with no attempt to cover specific combinations of attributes. For example, if you select one attribute from three of the columns, three environments are created, ensuring that each selected attribute is covered at least once.
   • Choose Medium - pair-wise interaction to ensure that each combination of paired attributes is covered at least once.
   • Choose Large - three-way interaction to ensure that each three-way combination of attributes is covered at least once.
   • Choose All - all permutations to ensure that all combinations of attributes are covered at least once.
   Note: The coverage options only become available when you start selecting attributes. The greater the coverage that you want, the more attributes and columns you must select.
6. Click Advanced Properties to display a window with three tabs: Inclusions, Exclusions, and Weightings.
   • Click Inclusions to specify the attribute combinations to always include.
   • Click Exclusions to specify the attribute combinations to explicitly exclude.
   • Click Weightings to set the weight or importance of each attribute relative to the other values for that attribute.

     To add an Inclusion or Exclusion, click the Add Inclusion/Add Exclusion icon (, select the attribute and click OK.

     To adjust a Weighting, simply move the slider.

7. Click Next.

   The wizard creates a preview of the Generated Test Environments.

8. If necessary, select any test environments that you want to remove and click Finish.

   The wizard generates the test environments according to the criteria you have selected.

9. Optionally, decide how you want to group the generated test environments by selecting one of the choices in the Group By list.
10. Click Save to save the newly-generated test environments in the test plan.